Lady loses job after criticising Osinbajo, First Lady online

A Nigerian woman has lost her job a week after criticising Vice President Yemi Osinbajo and President Muhammadu Buhari’s wife, Aisha, on Twitter, Premiumtimes reports.

• In the July 5, 2017 tweet, Bolouere Opukiri described then-Acting President Osinbajo as ‘a novice’ for travelling out of the country at a time Pres. Buhari was receiving medical treatment in London and tension was flaring between the executive and the legislature.
  In another post five days later, Opukiri threw a shade at Mrs Buhari for railing against some ‘hyenas’ and ‘jackals’ within her husband’s inner circle, suggesting that Ms Buhari might not be as ‘classy’ as former first lady, Patience Jonathan.
  The two tweets and other similar rants against Buhari administration figures were subsequently chronicled by some petitioners and sent to the presidency.
  The presidential amnesty office, where Ms Opukiri worked at the media unit, saw her abuse of ‘government official’ as a threat to national security and dismissed her as recommended by the public service rules.
  Opukiri told PREMIUM TIMES her dismissal was a violation of her right to free expression as enumerated in the Constitution and vowed to challenge it in court.
  Her dismissal letter said she made ‘false claims’ against a ‘government official’ in her July 5 tweet.
  The claims were ‘prejudicial to state security” and also “inimical to the image of the Office of the Special Adviser to the President on Niger-Delta Affairs.”
  The office based its actions on public service rule (PSR) 030407, which defines ‘false claims against government officials’ as a serious misconduct for which an employee should be dismissed as ultimate penalty.
  Opukiri’s employment letter had implored her to be ‘responsible’ in her conduct while on the job.